finding comfort
by musicismypassion1414
Summary: Based on the Criminal Minds episode, Children of the dark. When Carrie is found wondering in the street, covered in blood, she is taken to hospital, how does she react? how would you react? I'm crap at summaries, so have a read and see what you think.


**A/N: I've had a little bit of an obsession with the 'children of the dark episode' and the relationships that the writers built between Carrie and Prentiss and JJ. I felt like there was a lot that they could have included, so here's an extended version of what I would have liked to see in the episode. really love what they did with the nightmare that she had though, what amazing acting from Jhoanna Flores, A.J Cook and Paget. **

I'm crying at every touch, flinching away when she comes near me, whether with or without any medical aids, I see the needle on the steel trolley, I'm begging her to stop touching me, I've moved so far away from her and the bed that I was sitting on that I'm now backing into the corner of the room, frightened and confused. She just keeps telling me that she won't hurt me and that she just needs to see. I presume she means my arm, I pulled out the IV, I was scared of the needle, of what was going through it, I knew in my mind it must just be saline but I couldn't convince myself.

This is me at the hospital. I'm not quite sure what's going on. I'm still drowsy and confused from the drugs in my system, if I could I'd get up and run out of this room, away from her, but my head spins and my legs feel like jelly every time I even attempt to stand up.

My name is Carrie, I'm the only survivor. My family was killed last night by two men. I let them in...it's all my fault. The last thing I remember before I slipped back into unconsciousness, backed into the corner of the room, was her kneeling down in front of me, then it's just black..

JJ rushed into the room, 'hotch, there's been another one. And they're sending an ambulance'

Hotch: 'there's a survivor?' Hotch asked surprised, JJ just nodded and the team followed her out of the room to be briefed.

JJ began 'her Name is Carrie Ortiz, she was found wondering down the middle of the road, covered in blood. A Mr. John woods, who nearly drove into her, shouted for another motorist to call an ambulance. It's the same situation as the other families, both parents are dead, Carrie and her brother Danny were both injected with the same barbiturate as the previous two families, somehow Carrie survived. She'll be at the hospital by now. JJ had finished her brief and Hotch took over 'Prentiss, you and JJ go to the hospital, she'll be more comfortable with women. Reid, Morgan and I will go to the house. See you back here after.' They made there way to the SUVs, JJ and Emily headed to Denver City Hospital to interview Carrie.

In the suv with Emily, JJ thought out loud 'poor kid, she'll be a mess, the interview could be tricky' Emily spoke up 'I'll ask her most of the questions, ask her to lead us through the events, we both know from past cases that some victims have viewed the main interviewer as 'the scary one' or 'the one that asks all the uncomfortable questions' and given that Carries only 17, that might be the case. she might open up more to you if your less dominant, like good cop bad cop, plus you're nearer her age and great with kids.' JJ spoke, 'yeah i agree, presuming that she's ok to be seen' Emily and JJ exchanged glances that showed they where both thinking the same thing, she's 17, alone in hospital and after what she'd just been through, who knows how she is. 'have you found out who her doctor/nurse is, we're gonna need to speak with them when we get there'. Emily inquired, 'I'm on it now' replied JJ as she got out her phone. 'There was no answer earlier, I think they're unsure of media leaks on the story' she was about to try again when Emily interrupted her, 'it's just down the road, we can find out at the reception.'

JJ put her phone away. They parked and made their way into the hospital, heading straight for reception, JJ spoke first 'hi, I'm agent Jareau, this is agent Prentiss, could we speak to the doctor looking after miss Carrie Ortiz please? 'of course, I'll just find out who it is and page them.' the receptionist replied, JJ gave her thanks and waited with Emily. About two minutes later, a tall doctor in a white lab coat walked towards them, 'hi, you must be the FBI, Im doctor Stevens' he extended his hand to JJ and Emily, 'hi, I'm agent Jareau, this is Agent Prentiss' JJ replied as they shook his hand. 'Could you fill us in on Carrie?' Emily asked, 'Of course, shall we go to my office?' JJ and Emily nodded and he led them away from the reception.

in his office, he stood in front of his desk and began 'She's okay, physically, as far as i can tell, her mental well being is another matter. she was bought in by the ambulance at about 8 o'clock this morning,the guy that found her he told the operator she was covered in blood but showed no signs of injury, she was repeating 'they killed us' and could barely stand, she fell into unconsciousness just before the ambulance arrived.' Emily interrupted, 'did she say anything about the people who did it?' 'not as far as I'm aware. She remained mostly unconscious in the ambulance, slipping in and out briefly, but I doubt it was for long enough for her to realise where she was. They where pumping her full of saline to try and get the drugs out of her system, they took some blood to measure the overdose and then they arrived here. She was coming round a bit more but she was out of it, we told her she was at the hospital, but I'm not sure how much that sunk in. The blood test from the ambulance was fast tracked, it was the biggest barbiturate overdose id ever seen in someone who was still breathing. She's very lucky. We took her to a room, and made her comfortable, by this time she'd slipped back under. I assigned a nurse to her, Rachel; she cleaned off the blood from her face, changed her into a gown, sent her clothes to forensics and changed the IV. Just before you arrived, I spoke with Rachel, after sending her clothes to forensics, she hadn't washed the rest of the blood from carries arms and neck, and needed to do a second blood test, but Carrie had come round quite strongly while she was getting the supplies, she went back into her room and found Carrie huddled in the corner of the bed crying, she'd also pulled the IV out.

Rachel talked to her, explained that she was safe, after a while she managed to get her to sit over the edge of the bed, then she went to wash the blood off of her arms, Carrie was flinching and trembling, it got worse when Rachel tried to clean up her arm where she'd pulled her IV out, she practically jumped off the bed, she would've run if her legs weren't so weak, she just fell to the floor. She needed another blood test, and her IV still needed replacing, she was lucky in the ambulance, she was unconscious, but this time she saw the needle on the table, she was hysterical, she backed into the corner of the room, Rachel tried her best to reassure her, but the drug in her system was still so strong, she was drowsy, confused, Rachel knelt down in front of her, and then Carrie fell unconscious. Rachel called me, i helped get her back into bed, I redid her IV and increased her saline to try and get the drugs out of her system as quickly as possible. I held off on the blood test, she'd feel even more violated if I did it when she had no control.'

JJ and Emily had listened to every word the doctor was saying, neither of them could believe how careless the nurse had been with Carrie, a paediatrician would have been more appropriate considering the trauma that Carrie had just been through.

'is she still unconscious?' JJ asked, 'the last time i checked, she was. 'JJ and Emily thanked the doctor for his time and asked if they could go and see Carrie once they had spoken in private. JJ and Emily stepped out of his office to talk 'the interview is going to be even harder than I thought, the last thing she'll remember is being stuck in a room with someone she was scared was going to hurt her, now she'll wake up back in the bed, with another needle in her arm and two strangers coming to question her.' Emily said with some distress in her voice, 'As long as she knows that we won't hurt her, that we just want to help, I think she'll be fine with talking to us' JJ told Emily. 'time to meet her' JJ said as she turned back into the doctors office.

'Could you take us to carries room?' emily told him rather than asked. JJ and Emily followed him a short distance down the hall until they reached a room on there right, JJ could see through the blinds in the window that Carrie was asleep in the hospital bed, whether that was a good thing or not she couldn't decide. The doctor was about to go in, but Emily stopped him,

'I don't want to sound like I'm trying to do your job Dr, but agent Jareau and I have a lot of experience in dealing with victims, young and old, and from what you told us about carries behaviour, she's a very frightened, confused young woman right now, and we think it'd be best if you left us to talk to her. If she wakes up with a medical personnel in the room, a male one at that, she's going to be even more scared.' JJ looked at the doctor with an expression that told him everything 'okay, you're the experts, I'll let you get on with it, just be wary that she might try and remove her IV again. If you need any help, just come find me, I'll be at reception.' and with a look of defeat, he walked back down the corridor.

JJ and Emily took a deep breath and quietly entered Carries room. JJ went and sat on a chair on the left side of carries bed, Emily stood at the end, quickly running her eyes over the teenager for any trauma, the only thing visible was the IV in her right arm which was heavily taped down, they had also wired her up to an ECG, which showed heart rate, pulse and blood pressure. Emily looked at JJ, they needed to wake Carrie up, she could be out for ages if they didn't, and they really needed to talk to her, 'we'll wait a little longer' JJ whispered, Carrie had turned her head towards JJ but was still asleep, It wouldn't be long till she woke up. JJ and emily had seen enough people like Carrie to know she wouldn't, or couldn't sleep long, the drugs and the nightmares would wake her, which ever got to her first.

Thank you for reading this first chapter, please r and r! let me know how I can improve or any suggestions as to where the story should progress, all ideas are welcome. thank you.


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